Machine and method for paint-roller manufacturing with integrated final cutting online

ABSTRACT

A paint roller manufacturing system and method are described. In an embodiment, an inner strip of material and an outer strip of material are wound about a mandrel in offset relation. The inner strip of material and the outer strip of material each comprise material that results in a final paint roller which shrinks by less than 2.5 percent of the final paint roller axial length, or which has shrinkage that varies by less +/−0.1%, upon hardening and setting. An adhesive is applied to at least a portion of the outer strip as it is wound about the mandrel. A length of fabric is wound about at least the outer strip to form a paint roller tube, and compression is applied to the paint roller tube while advancing the paint roller tube in a direction parallel to the mandrel. A precision measuring or sensing device is used to control a cutting device causing the cutting device to cut the advancing paint roller tube into pre-selected lengths prior to the paint roller tube hardening and setting.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of and claims the benefit ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/261,227, filed Jan. 29, 2019, titledMachine and Method For Paint-Roller Manufacturing With Integrated FinalCutting Online, which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates in general to the field of paint rollermanufacturing, and in particular to a novel machine and process forcutting operations in the manufacture of paint rollers.

BACKGROUND

Paint roller manufacturing typically involves multiple stages. By thelate 1980s, and into the 1990s commercially viable methods ofmanufacturing thermoplastic paint rollers were developed. See, e.g.,U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,195,242, 5,572,790 having a common inventor herewith.These patents describe continuous processes of manufacturing paintroller sticks. Sticks are several times the length of a finished paintroller. Thermoplastic paint rollers used heat or molten plasticmaterials in the process of manufacturing paint roller sticks. Forexample, many processes used molten polypropylene or moltenpolypropylene compounds with melting points in excess of 300 degreesFahrenheit.

Sticks are typically 65 inches long when they come off a production line(e.g., as the end product of a continuous production line) at anelevated exterior temperature. For example, a stick may be cut from theoutput of a continuous processing line with an exterior temperature thatis greater than about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, or greater than about 100degrees Fahrenheit, or greater than about 110 degrees Fahrenheit.Internal components of the sticks may remain much hotter than theexterior temperature when cut.

After manufacture, the sticks are allowed to cool, harden and set overtime. During the cooling, hardening and setting processes, the sticksshrink, often substantially, e.g., more than about an inch, or more thanabout 1.5 inches. Indeed, it is likely that the principal reason for thehistorical selection of 65 inches as the industry standard stick lengthis the ability to cut seven 9-inch paint rollers (which is a verypopular size) therefrom, after shrinkage. After the sticks are hardenedand set, and thus have shrunk, they are cut down to final paint-rollerlengths. In an embodiment, a typical paint roller length may be 3, 4, 6,7, 9, 12, 15, or 18 inches long. Other lengths (e.g., metric lengths)may be used as well. As an illustration, a 65-inch stick that hashardened and set may have shrunk by well over an inch, but it can stillbe cut into to seven 9-inch paint rollers. Other typical stick sizes maybe used (i.e., other than 65 inches) for making 9-inch or other rollersizes, however, all sticks are sized to allow for substantial shrinkageand result in waste in the cutting process.

Prior to the invention described herein it was well known to personsskilled in the art that cutting a paint roller stick into paint rollersof final length should not be done until all or substantially all of the(axial and radial) shrinkage has occurred. Thus, typically, finalcutting of paint rollers would not be performed until the stick hashardened and set. For example, final cutting may be performed when theexterior surface of the stick has a temperature of less than 90 degreesFahrenheit or less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description of preferred embodiments as illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which reference characters refer to the sameparts throughout the various views. The drawings are not necessarily toscale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 shows a top view illustrating a machine and two-strip process formanufacturing paint rollers in accordance with an embodiment whereinpaint rollers are manufactured and cut to final length in a singleprocess.

FIG. 2 shows a top view illustrating a machine and one-strip process formanufacturing paint rollers in accordance with an embodiment whereinpaint rollers are manufactured and cut to final length in a singleprocess.

FIG. 3 shows a paint roller tube traveling through a machine past aseries of notches into which one or more sensors and/or switches areinserted.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a process for manufacturing paintrollers in accordance with an embodiment wherein paint rollers aremanufactured and cut to final length.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system upon whichan embodiment of the invention may be implemented.

FIG. 6 illustrates a chip set upon which an embodiment of the inventionmay be implement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. The following description and drawings are illustrative andare not to be construed as limiting. Numerous specific details aredescribed to provide a thorough understanding. However, in certaininstances, well-known or conventional details are not described in orderto avoid obscuring the description. References to one or an embodimentin the present disclosure are not necessarily references to the sameembodiment, and such references mean at least one.

In a two-strip embodiment of the process, an inner strip of material andan outer strip of material are wound about a mandrel in offset relation,the inner strip of material and the outer strip of material eachcomprising polypropylene or a polypropylene compound includingpolypropylene and at least one filler.

According to various embodiments, the paint roller may comprise amaterial or a combination of materials selected to result in a shrinkage(between the cut length of paint roller and the final hardened-and-setlength) of less than about 2.5%. In an embodiment, the materials usedmay be selected to reduce roller-to-roller variation in shrinkage towithin manufacturing tolerances, such as to less than about one tenth of1 percent (0.1%). According to various embodiments, the materials mayinclude a combination of a filler and a polymeric material.

According to various embodiments, the filler may be selected fromAlumina Trihydrate, Barium Sulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Carbon Black,Diatomaceous earth, Dolomite, Halloysite, Kaolin, Magnetite/Hematite,Magnesium Hydroxide, Mica, Silica, Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Wollastonite,Zinc Oxide.

According to various embodiments, the filler may have a density within arange having a lower limit and/or an upper limit. The range may includeor exclude the lower limit and/or the upper limit. The lower limitand/or upper limit may be selected from about 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4,1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9,3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4,4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9,6, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, and 7 g/cm³. Forexample, according to certain embodiments, according to variousembodiments, the filler may have a density of from about 1 to about 6g/cm³, or any combination of lower limits and upper limits described.

According to various embodiments, the filler may have an averageparticle size within a range having a lower limit and/or an upper limit.The range may include or exclude the lower limit and/or the upper limit.The lower limit and/or upper limit may be selected from about 0.001,0.005, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 5, 10, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600,700, 800, 900, and 1000 microns. For example, according to certainembodiments, according to various embodiments, the filler may have anaverage particle size of from about 0.001 to about 1000 microns, or anycombination of lower limits and upper limits described.

According to various embodiments, the polymeric material may be athermoplastic, a thermoset, an elastomer, a copolymer thereof, and/or ablend thereof. The polymeric material may have any suitable molecularweight. The polymeric material may further comprise one or moreadditives including plasticizers to modify various properties of thepolymeric material including but not limited to interactions betweenpolymer chains, glass transition temperature, melt viscosity, and/orelastic modulus. The polymeric material may be a commercially-availablevirgin or non-virgin grade.

According to various embodiments, the thermoplastic material may becrystalline or amorphous. According to various embodiments, thethermoplastic may be selected from a polypropylene, a poly(methylmethacrylate), an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer, a polyamide,a polylactic acid (polylactide), a polybenzimidazole, a polycarbonate, apolysulfone, a polyoxymethylene, a polyether ether ketone, apolyetherimide, a polyethylene, a polyethylene terephthalate, apolyphenylene oxide, a polyphenylene sulfide, a polypropylene, apolystyrene, a polyvinyl chloride, a polyvinylidene fluoride, apolytetrafluoroethylene, or combinations thereof.

According to various embodiments, the thermoset may be selected from apolyester, a polyurethane, a polyurea, vulcanized rubber, aphenol-formaldehyde resin, a melamine resin, and epoxy resin, abenzoxazine, a polyimide, a polycyanurate, a furan resin, a siliconeresin, a vinyl ester resin, or a combination thereof.

According to various embodiments, the elastomer may be selected from apolyisoprene, a polybutadiene, a polychloroprene, a butyl rubber, ahalogenated butyl rubber, a styrene-butadiene rubber, a nitrile rubber,an ethylene propylene rubber, an epichlorohydrin rubber, a polyacrylicrubber, a silicone rubber, a fluorosilicone rubber, a fluoroelastomer, aperfluoroelastomer, a polyether block amide, a chlorosulfonatedpolyethylene, an ethylene-vinyl acetate, or a combination thereof.

The amount of filler present in the combination (of filler and polymermaterial) may be within a range having a lower limit and/or an upperlimit. The range may include or exclude the lower limit and/or the upperlimit. The lower limit and/or upper limit may be selected from about 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42,43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75% byweight. For example, according to certain embodiments, the amount offiller present in the combination (of filler and polymer material) maybe in a range from about 10 to about 70% by weight, or any combinationof lower limits and upper limits described.

In an embodiment, the materials used are selected to result in ashrinkage of less than 0.6% or 0.05 inches for a 9″ paint roller. In anembodiment, the materials used should be selected to reduceroller-to-roller variation in shrinkage to within manufacturingtolerances, such as to less than 0.013% or 0.001 inches for a 9″ roller.In an embodiment, the materials used are selected to result in ashrinkage of less than 1.2% or 0.1 inches for a 9″ paint roller. In anembodiment, the materials used should be selected to reduceroller-to-roller variation in shrinkage to within manufacturingtolerances, such as to less than 0.026% or 0.002 inches for a 9″ roller.In an embodiment, the materials used are selected to result in ashrinkage of less than 2.4% or 0.2 inches for a 9″ paint roller. In anembodiment, the materials used should be selected to reduceroller-to-roller variation in shrinkage to within manufacturingtolerances, such as to less than 0.052%, or 0.004 inches, for a 9″roller. Applying the foregoing to an 18 inch paint roller, in anembodiment, the materials used should be selected to result in ashrinkage of less than 0.11 inches or less than 0.22 inches, or lessthan 0.33 inches. In an embodiment, the materials (e.g., proportions ofpolypropylene to filler) are selected to result in a final paint rollershrinkage which is repeatable. In an embodiment, the materials areselected to result in a final paint roller shrinkage which is repeatablewithin normal manufacturing tolerance (i.e., that the finished paintrollers manufacture with the materials harden and set to the finishedlength within manufacturing tolerance.)

Shrinkage also occurs radially, in addition to axially as discussedabove. In other words, there is some reduction in paint roller diameterdue to shrinkage. Rollers manufactured with a compound that includes afiller, as described herein, shrink less than traditionalpolypropylene-only rollers. Polypropylene-only rollers are typicallymade with an internal diameter of 1.52″, and shrink to a finishedinternal diameter of 1.485″, which represents a shrinkage of about 2.3%.Rollers manufactured with a compound that includes a filler aretypically made with an internal diameter of 1.5″, and they shrink to1.485″, which represents a shrinkage of about 1%. Mini rollers, whichtypically have a length of 4.5 inches and a diameter of 0.5 inch or ¾inch, or a length of 6.5 inches and a diameter of 0.5 inch or ¾ inch,are subject to similar shrinkage. Therefore, rollers of all sizes madewith such compounded material shrink less, typically more than 50% less,than paint rollers made solely from the more traditional polypropylenematerial.

In an embodiment of the present invention, an adhesive is applied to atleast a portion of the outer strip as it is wound about the mandrel, alength of fabric is wound about at least the outer strip to form acontinuous paint roller tube, and compression is applied to the paintroller tube. The paint roller tube may be cut into pre-specified lengthsinline with the manufacturing process prior to the paint roller tubehardening and setting. In an embodiment, a precision measuring and/orsensing device is used to control a cutting device so as to cut thepaint roller tube into pre-specified lengths prior to the paint rollertube hardening and setting. In an embodiment, a measuring and/or sensingdevice controls a cutting device which cuts the continuous paint rollertube into pre-specified lengths inline with the paint roller tubemanufacturing process prior to the paint roller tube hardening andsetting. The cut lengths of paint roller tubes are subsequently allowedto harden and set. In an embodiment, the hardened and set cut paintroller tube is the desired length of a paint roller. In an embodiment,the hardened and set cut paint roller tube is the desired length of apaint roller, within normal manufacturing variation.

FIG. 1 illustrates a two-strip embodiment of a paint rollermanufacturing system 101 for implementing the above process. The systemincludes a cover dispenser 122 that continuously dispenses a windablewidth of paint roller cover fabric 125, the paint roller cover fabrichaving a back side and an applicator side. The paint roller cover fabric125 may comprise a conventional cover fabric or a coated fabric that hasbeen coated offline or online, as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 9,956,719which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety and shares acommon inventor herewith.

A mandrel 121 is provided, and may be cooled by a mandrel cooler 133 soas to facilitate movement of strips around the mandrel in a helicalmanner without adhesion of the strips to the mandrel and with lowerresistance.

First and second strip dispensers 116, 118 are configured tocontinuously dispense first and second windable widths of strip material117, 119. A guide system (not shown) may be used to guide the first andsecond strip coming from the first and second strip dispensers such thatit is wound about the mandrel and to guide a paint roller cover fabricto be wound about the first and second strips 117, 119. In anembodiment, the paint roller fabric cover may be coated. In anembodiment, the paint roller fabric cover may be perforated. In anembodiment, the paint roller fabric cover may be coated and perforated.The second strip 119 and/or the first strip 117 may be a solid strip, aperforated strip or an embossed strip (e.g., having recessed dimples orother recessed features).

In an embodiment, the cover fabric 125 has been perforated in order toincrease adhesion of the fabric to the outer strip in a two-stripprocess, or to the sole strip in a single-strip process. Methods anddevices for perforating cover fabrics are taught, for example, in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/103,550 filed Aug. 14, 2018, which sharesa common inventor herewith and is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety. Paint roller fabric can either be perforated in the paintroller manufacturing process, or at any time prior to the fabric beingwound around the mandrel, such as when the fabric is manufactured. In anembodiment, perforating paint roller fabric may provide for greateradhesion and/or a reduction in shedding (i.e., the amount of fibers thatare dislodged during the paint roller manufacturing process or theprocess of using a finished paint roller).

In an embodiment, an applicator 115 is configured to apply adhesive(which may be glue, a polymer, or a compound polymer with or without afiller material) on substantially all of the outer side of the first andsecond windable strips 117, 119 upstream of a location where theconventional or coated paint roller cover fabric 125 is wound about thefirst and second strips. In an embodiment, the adhesive is in a moltenstate or a liquified state when applied. In an embodiment, the adhesiveis molten or liquified polypropylene. In an embodiment, the adhesive ismolten or liquified compound which includes polypropylene. In anembodiment, the adhesive is molten or liquified compound which includespolypropylene and calcium carbonate.

In an embodiment, a compressing and advancing device 129 is provided forapplying inward pressure normal to the mandrel on a conventional orcoated paint roller fabric cover 125 after it is wound about the firstand second strips 117, 119, and for advancing the first and secondwindable strips and the paint roller fabric cover along the mandrel 121.As discussed above, the paint roller fabric cover may be conventional,coated, perforated, or coated and perforated.

In an embodiment, the machine includes an extruder 103, which may beconfigured for extrusion of an adhesive material through a die 105. Inan embodiment, the material is molten when it is extruded through thedie 105 and the molten material is pushed through hose 111 to thestrip-coating adhesive applicator 115. The strip-coating applicator 115may comprise any device for applying liquid adhesive to a fabric,including a die head, sprayer, brush, extruder, or the like.

The inner strip 117 and outer strip 119 of material are helically woundabout the mandrel 121 in offset relation. In an embodiment, the offsetrelation is approximately 50%, that is, the center of one strip wraps ata location under or over (as the case may be) the middle of the otherstrip. In an embodiment, the offset relation is at least 5% to preventthe seams of the inner strip and the outer strip from aligning. A 5%offset relation refers to having the seam at least 5% of the width ofthe strip away from the edge of the strip. In an embodiment, the entireinner surface of the inner strip 117 contacts the mandrel 121. In anembodiment, no portion of the outer strip 119 contacts the mandrel 121.

In an embodiment, the inner strip 117 and the outer strip 119 comprise amaterial that, for a given roller length, will result in repeatableshrinkage due to hardening and setting. In an embodiment, the innerstrip 117 and the outer strip 119 comprise a material that, for a givenroller length, will result in repeatable shrinkage due to hardening andsetting, within a manufacturing tolerance.

In an embodiment, the outer surface of the inner strip 117 and the outersurface of the outer strip 119 are coated with adhesive by thestrip-coating applicator 115. In an embodiment (not shown), thestrip-coating applicator 115 comprises two separate strip-coatingapplicators, one to coat each of the two strips 117, 119. Thus, suchcoating of the outside of each of the two strips may be performed by thesame applicator or, in another embodiment, by two separate applicators.As shown in FIG. 1, coating of the strip or strips is performed by asingle applicator. In an embodiment, only the outer surface of the innerstrip 117 is coated with adhesive by the strip-coating applicator 115.In an embodiment, the strip-coating applicator 115 applies adhesive toeither the outer surface of the inner strip or the inner surface of theouter strip such that the adhesive ends out between the inner and outerstrips after it is applied. In an embodiment, the strip-coatingapplicator 115 applies adhesive to either the outer surface of the innerstrip or the inner surface of the outer strip such that the adhesiveends out between the inner and outer strips after it is applied, andliquid adhesive applied by an optional fabric coating applicator is notset when the outer strip 119 and the fabric cover 125 come together onthe mandrel. In an embodiment, the strip-coating applicator 115 appliesadhesive to either the outer surface of the outer strip or the innersurface of the fabric cover 125 such that the adhesive ends out betweenthe outer strip and fabric after it is applied. In an embodiment, aportion of the outer surface (rather than the entire outer surface) ofthe outer strip 119 (or the only strip in a single-strip embodiment) iscoated with adhesive. In an embodiment, the entire outer surface of theouter strip 119 is coated with adhesive. The strip-coating applicator115, in each case, may be configured to apply a contiguous ornon-contiguous coat of material to the strip. Examples of anon-contiguous coat include, without limitation, a mesh of material, orstripes of coating material. In addition, the strip-coating applicationmay be configured to apply additional material, such as a mesh materialin addition to a coating material. In an embodiment, a mesh material anda contiguous coat of material are applied by the strip coatingapplicator 115. In an embodiment, the mesh material is a resin. In anembodiment, the mesh material is an adhesive mesh. In an embodiment,only a portion of the outer surface of the inner strip 117 is coatedwith adhesive. In an embodiment, the entire outer surface of the innerstrip 117 is coated with adhesive.

In an embodiment, the strips and/or adhesive are made from or comprisepolypropylene. In an embodiment, the strips and/or adhesive comprise acompound of polypropylene and a filler. In an embodiment, the fillercomprises calcium carbonate. A variety of formulations for strips and/oradhesive may be found, e.g., in Applicant's U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/789,723 filed Jul. 1, 2015 and the references cited therein, theentire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. It isnot necessary to use strips of identical materials. It is similarly notnecessary to employ an adhesive of similar materials to one or both ofthe strips.

In an embodiment, the material used for both or either of the strips maycomprise, for example: (1) commonly-available polypropylene; (2) a blendof polypropylene, with an effective Melt Flow Rate (MFR) of 2-20 g/10min.; (3) a combination of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and Polypropylene,with CaCO3 ranges used from 10-70% CaCO3; or (4) a combination ofcalcium carbonate (CaCO3) and a blend of polypropylenes, with CaCO3ranges used from 10-70% CaCO3.

In an embodiment, the material used for the adhesive may comprise, forexample: (1) commonly-available polypropylene; (2) a blend ofpolypropylene, with an effective Melt Flow Rate (MFR) of 20-180 g/10min.; (3) a combination of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and Polypropylene,with CaCO3 ranges used from 10-70% CaCO3; or (4) a combination ofcalcium carbonate and blend of polypropylene (having a high MFR rangingfrom 700-1400 g/10 min), with CaCO3 ranges from 10-70% CaCO3 by weight,for an effective total MFR of 20-180 g/10 min. In an embodiment, theadhesive comprises a combination of calcium carbonate and blend ofpolypropylene, the combination having an effective MFR within the rangeof 20-180 g/10 min. In an embodiment, the adhesive comprises acombination of calcium carbonate and blend of polypropylene, thecombination having an effective MFR within the range of 80-170 g/10 min.In an embodiment, the adhesive comprises a combination of calciumcarbonate and blend of polypropylene, the combination having aneffective MFR within the range of 160-175 g/10 min.

Once the component parts (e.g., strips, adhesive, cover) are wound aboutthe mandrel 121, the in-process paint roller cover material tube 127 maybe driven by a motorized compressing and advancing device. In anembodiment, the in-process paint roller cover material tube 127 isdriven by a compressing and advancing device comprising a belt 129driven by a motorized roller 137. Operation of the motorized roller 137may be controlled by a process controller 138 in one-way or two-waycommunication with the motorized roller 137. According to variousembodiments, the process controller 138 may comprise a computer system500 as illustrated in FIG. 5.

The formed paint roller cover material tube 127 is advanced along themandrel 121 by the belt 129 to a cutting device 131 that cuts the tubeinto lengths. The cutting device 131 may be, e.g., a rotary cutter, aflyaway saw, a traveling saw, a stationary cutter, or other suitablecutter or chopper. In an embodiment, the cutting device is under thecontrol of the process controller 138.

The process controller receives a signal from a precision measuringand/or sensing device 133, the signal indicating that the tube 127 hasadvanced to a particular point either along or after the mandrel 121.The precision measuring and/or sensing device 133 may be, e.g., amechanical, optical, electromagnetic, Hall effect, piezoelectric, ormagnetic sensor capable of measuring a desired length of the tube 127,or detecting or determining a location of the tube 127 with sufficientprecision, accuracy, and speed to allow the cutting device 131 to cutthe tube 127 such that once set, the cut lengths result in tubes in adesired length (e.g., a paint roller length) within a manufacturingtolerance. In an embodiment, such tolerance is less than 0.001 inchesper final paint roller length. In an embodiment, such tolerance is lessthan +/−0.002 inches. In an embodiment, such tolerance is +/−0.004inches. In an embodiment, such tolerance comprises shrinkage of lessthan 0.05 inches per final paint roller length. In an embodiment, suchtolerance comprises shrinkage of less than 0.10 inches per final paintroller length. In an embodiment, such tolerance comprises shrinkage ofless than 0.20 inches per final paint roller length. In an embodiment,such tolerance comprises shrinkage which varies by less than 0.004inches per final paint roller length. In an embodiment, such tolerancecomprises shrinkage which varies by less than 0.8 percent of the finalpaint roller length.

The precision measuring and/or sensing device 133 is illustrativelyshown in FIG. 1 downstream from the cutting device 131, however, theprecision measuring and/or sensing device 133 may be located atvirtually any part of the machine where there is movement proportionalto the manufacturing process. In an embodiment, the precision measuringand/or sensing device 133 is located at a part of the machine past whichthe tube 127 is moving. In an embodiment, the precision measuring and/orsensing device 133 is located at a part of the machine past which one ormore of the strips 117, 119 or cover 125 are moving. In an embodiment,the precision measuring and/or sensing device comprises a shaft encoderon the shaft of motorized roller 137. In an embodiment, the precisionmeasuring and/or sensing device comprises a shaft encoder on the shaftof one or more of rollers 116, 118, and 122. In an embodiment, theprecision measuring and/or sensing device comprises a wheel in contactwith either strips 117, 119, or cover 125, or any combination of thosecomponents. In an embodiment, the precision measuring and/or sensingdevice comprises a wheel in contact with the tube 127.

The process controller 138 is in communication with a selectioninterface 141, which may comprise hard buttons and/or a touch interfacewith soft buttons, that allow selection of final paint roller length.According to various embodiments, the selection interface may comprisean input device 512, a display 514, and/or a pointing device 516 asillustrated in FIG. 5. The selection interface 141 is in direct orindirect communication with the cutting device 131 and/or the precisionmeasuring device 133, and is configured to allow an operator to selectthe final paint roller length from one of a plurality of preset lengthsto another of the plurality of preset lengths. Examples of such presetlengths include, e.g., three inches, four inches, four and a halfinches, six inches, six and a half inches, seven inches, nine inches,twelve inches, fifteen inches, and eighteen inches. Based on suchselection, and the signal from the precision measuring device 133, theprocess controller 138 causes the cutting device 131 to be actuated witha specific timing that results in the length of the final paint rollers143 to be at or near a length selected using the selection interface141. The functions of the process controller may be incorporated inwhole or in part in other sensing, detecting, or computationalcomponents already in use elsewhere in the process.

Once rollers have been cut via the above-described inline cuttingprocess, they can be conveyed via a conveyor 145 to a finishing machine147 where they are finished. In an embodiment, finishing includesbeveling the edges of the final roller, trimming excess fabric, andremoving any detritus/debris. Finishing may include any other processthat a manufacturer requires before rollers are placed into packaging,and may include placement into packaging. In an embodiment, conveyor 145comprises a conveyor belt with short walls on either side.

The rollers can then be loaded into a loading mechanism such as amagazine. The process may further utilize an apparatus that evenlydistributes the rollers to a number of downstream finishing machines,based on various methods used to sense the current capacity/queue ateach of the machines. Various methods can be utilized for assessing how“busy” a finishing machine is. Such methods include, e.g., receiving andprocessing signals from electromechanical sensors, optical sensors, oroperator input.

In an embodiment, the finishing machine 147 includes a queuing stationand an indexing device. Once a roller has been deposited at the queuingstation of the finishing machine, the finishing process can begin. Theindexing device is used to finish rollers using functions performed ateach of a plurality of different stations selected per the particularmanufacturer's finishing requirements.

There are two main types of indexing machines, single-turntable machinesand dual-turntable machines. Single-turntable indexing machinestypically utilize a single rotary turntable that turns a roller througha plurality of stations. For example, a six-station machine would load,spin, buff, bevel, spin, and unload a roller. Spinning is used to removeexcess particles from fibers. One of the main issues with asingle-turntable process is that it typically is unable to easilyprocess a roller on both ends (i.e., the end of the roller that isclosest to the indexing turntable is hard to reach). A dual-turntableindexing machine, on the other hand, allows rollers to be finished atboth ends, using two sets of turntables. One example of a machine ofthis type uses two eight-station turntables that would each load, buff,bevel, shear, clean ends, spin, (an ancillary action), and unload theroller. Either type of finishing machine is also capable of tucking inexcess fabric on one end of the roller to increase the surface area ofthe roller that can be exposed to paint, or for aesthetic purposes.

As an alternative to or in addition to using a finishing machine, rollerfabric can be pre-finished by cleaning, shearing, vacuuming, de-linting,or otherwise manipulating it inline before it is wound around a mandrelor otherwise applied to a core as a part of any paint rollermanufacturing process. The fabric can be treated either before it isapplied to a core, or even after the fabric has been applied to thecore, and before the roller cores are cut to desired lengths. Finishingprocesses other than beveling and spinning can be performed prior toroller cores being cut to desired lengths.

In an embodiment, roller cores are marked with a day/date code or otheridentifying codes/marks on the inside portion of the core. In anembodiment, marking can be accomplished by laser marking strip material117, 119 (composed of any material) before it is wound around themandrel, or by laser marking the core of any tube after rollers are cutto length. The printing/laser marking/burning of the code can also takeplace during the finishing process, potentially as a separate station ofthe process, or this function can be incorporated into a finishingstation of the finishing machine 147.

In an embodiment, a method for manufacturing paint rollers includeswinding an inner strip of material and an outer strip of material abouta mandrel in offset relation, the inner strip of material and the outerstrip of material each comprising polypropylene or polypropylene and atleast one filler in proportions of polypropylene to filler that resultin final paint roller shrinkage of less than 0.015 inches per inch offinal paint roller length or less than 0.87 percent of the final paintroller length. An adhesive is applied to at least a portion of the outerstrip as it is wound about the mandrel. A length of fabric is woundabout at least the outer strip to form a paint roller tube, andcompression is applied to the paint roller tube. A precision measuringor sensing device is used to control a cutting device so as to cut thepaint roller tube into final paint roller lengths online with the paintroller tube manufacturing process and prior to the paint roller tubebeing allowed to harden and set. In an embodiment, the proportions ofpolypropylene to filler may result in final paint roller shrinkage ofless than 0.010 inches per inch of final paint roller length, less than0.006 inches per inch of final paint roller length, or less than 0.004inches per inch of final paint roller length.

The methods and system are described above in the context of a two-stripprocess for manufacturing paint rollers. One skilled in the art willrecognize that the same or similar methods can be used in a single-stripprocess, a three-strip process, or the like, without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

It is within the scope and spirit of the inventions described hereinthat a continuous process of manufacturing paint rollers employs acutter to cut the in-process semi-finished continuous tube of paintroller material prior to setting. It is also within the scope and spiritof the inventions described herein that the length of material that iscut from the continuous tube of paint roller material includes thelength of the desired finished paint roller plus a predetermined amountor range of shrinkage which will permit the cut length to harden and setto a finished length within a manufacturing tolerance. In an embodiment,the predetermined amount of shrinkage may be determined empirically, byoperating the process over a known cut size, or a range of cut sizes andmeasuring the cutting results after they have hardened and set tosubstantially their final size. In an embodiment, the predeterminedamount of shrinkage may be determined through calculation from knownshrinkage properties of each of the relevant constituent materials.Despite the hundreds of millions of thermoplastic paint rollers madeeach year for at least the last twenty years or more, no known paintrollers have been continuously manufactured to finished length solely bycutting the continuously manufactured paint roller tube to aprespecified larger size, and allowing the cut section to harden andset, and thereby shrink. Regardless of the method of determining thepredetermined amount of shrinkage, using an enlarged cut size toaccommodate the predetermined shrinkage has heretofore not been taughtor suggested.

FIG. 2 shows a single-strip embodiment 201 of the two-strip machine andprocess shown in FIG. 1. This embodiment generally operates as per thedescriptions of FIG. 1 above, except that a single strip 117 is usedinstead of the dual strips 117 and 119.

With respect to the process controller 138, the selection interface 141,and the precision measuring device 133 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 anddiscussed above, it is noted that roller lengths can also be measuredvia a device that uses a mechanical switch that is triggered by theforward motion of the roller tube, or the presence of the roller tube.The mechanical switch, or any other apparatus that is used to measurethe presence of the roller, can be positioned at arbitrary or presetlengths in order to allow operators to quickly change the desired lengthof the roller tube between preset desired lengths. Markers, mechanicalstops, and/or other physical or virtual demarcation devices can beplaced inline with respect to roller tube travel, or parallel orperpendicular to the direction of roller tube travel. Physical/virtualpreset length stops or other demarcations can be used in conjunctionwith or in lieu of a selection device and/or a processor controller. Anembodiment of such method and system is illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows a paint roller tube 127 traveling through a machine past aseries of preset notches 301, 302, 303, 304 into which one or moresensors 133 is inserted. The preset notches 301, 302, 303, 304correspond to different paint roller lengths, e.g., three inch, sixinch, nine inch and 12 inch. In an embodiment the sensor 133 is a“flipper” switch is triggered whenever the roller tube is pushed againstit via forward motion. The switch 133 can be positioned at preset orarbitrary intervals that allow the operator to quickly change theswitch's position between desired lengths. In this manner, thetriggering/sensing device that is utilized can be positioned preciselywhere the manufacturer desires to position it. Instead of using aswitch, an optoelectronic array, Hall effect device, or other suitablesensor or measuring device could be used.

In addition to embodiments wherein a trigger is moved, other embodimentscan utilize radar or other non-contact measuring devices to measure alength of roller tube as it passes by the scanning area of themanufacturing system. The length can be continually assessed, and oncethe device decides that the length is adequate as per operatorinstructions, the device then sends a signal to cut. All devices caneither communicate with an intermediary process controller, or directlywith the cutting device itself.

Advantages of the present invention over the present inventor's priorpatents include, but are not limited to the following. It should benoted that some but not all embodiments of the present invention provideeach of these advantages. The present invention can provide asingle-step in-line process for manufacturing a paint roller usinginline cutting, rather than a two-step offline process, thereby reducingthe amount of time, resources, labor, machinery, and waste materialsrequired to produce paint rollers in final lengths. Machines operatingaccording to the present invention can be configured to use lessexpensive molten material that includes one or more fillers. In additionto not requiring additional labor, space, and time to deal with rollertubes as opposed to rollers cut to desired final lengths, other benefitsinclude:

If roller tubes are constructed of materials that reduce roller tubeshrinkage relative to materials that experience greater shrinkage (asdescribed above), waste is reduced, and thus, less material is requiredto make each paint roller. Historically, 65 inch tubes were producedbecause up to one inch of shrinkage was expected, and because one inchof material was needed to accommodate imprecision in the cuttingprocess. Although using a compounded polypropylene material reducedshrinkage, it did not reduce waste because manufacturers have continuedto manufacture paint rollers by producing 65″ sticks. Indeed, persons ofordinary skill in the art failed to recognize the benefits of thepresent invention, which may dramatically reduce waste.

Eliminating the need for recutting—that is, to cut rollers to desiredlengths from sticks—saves both capital and labor costs associated withowning and operating the equipment needed to cut sticks into paintrollers of exact lengths. Eliminating the need for recutting also savesthe cost of storage space that was taken up by intermediary storage ofroller tubes and the recutting equipment.

Overall manufacturing time decreases with the elimination of recuttingpaint roller tubes.

It is noted that the last two benefits accrue to anyone that uses inlinepaint roller cutting with any paint roller manufacturing process,including spiral-winding processes using any strip and resin material,and any non-spiral-winding processes. With respect to non-spiral windingprocesses, the methods and systems described herein can be used forinline cutting with processes such as those that use extruded tubes.Extruded tubes can be pre-fabricated before the paint rollermanufacturing process or extruded as part of the paint rollermanufacturing process. This includes extruded tubes that rotate as theyare made inline.

Although reference has been made to specific paint roller manufacturingtechniques, various embodiments of cutting paint rollers to specifiedlengths may be performed with any paint roller manufacturing systemwhere tubes, comprised of any sufficiently rigid material, are movedthrough a manufacturing line using forward motion. The motion can belinear or rotational. The term “paint roller tube” refers to a tube ofmaterial or a tube comprised of a combination of materials that may ormay not have paint roller fabric or other materials, such as lambskin,applied to it. These paint roller tubes are then cut to desiredindividual roller lengths.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of a process 401 for manufacturing paintrollers in accordance with an embodiment wherein paint rollers aremanufactured and cut to final length. As shown in FIG. 4, uncut paintroller tubes 405 may be manufactured by any paint roller manufacturingprocess 403. The paint roller manufacturing process 403 may be acontinuous process or a batch process. The paint roller tubes 405 may besupplied continuously or in a batch-wise manner to a finishing section407 of the process 401. The paint roller tubes 405 may be cut intofinished lengths in finishing section 407 as described according to anyof the other embodiments described herein.

Any paint roller manufacturing process 403 may be used. The examplesbelow are neither limiting nor exhaustive. The paint roller tubes 405may comprise any combination of materials and may be manufactured by anyprocess.

Paint roller tubes may be made with sufficiently rigid paper orpaper-like material. These tubes are typically made from several plys ofpaper that are fed into a process that winds there plys around amandrel. The paper is pre-treated with adhesive, and/or an adhesive isdripped or extruded upon the paper strips, binding the plys to eachother and to the fabric which is applied later in the process. Theresulting tube moves forward due to the motion created from the spiralwinding process. Spirally-wound paint roller tubes may be produced in aseparate process, and then fabric may be wound around the tubes in asubsequent process. The tubes may then be cut to desired lengths.

Paint roller tubes may be made of pre-formed tubes of thermoplasticmaterial. This material may be made of polypropylene or PVC, forinstance. The pre-formed tubes may be made of continuously-extrudedmaterial, or may be made of strips of material that are wound around amandrel using a spiral winding process. The pre-formed tubes are loadedonto a mandrel, and are then rotated and moved forward by a spiralwinding process. Fabric is applied to the tube via the same spiralwinding process, and the fabric is secured either via a resin made ofthermoplastic material or an adhesive that is extruded on the tube, orvia heating the tube at the point at which the fabric is applied so thatthe plastic material that the tube at that point is made of issufficiently heated to create adhesion between the heated surface andthe fabric. The resulting fabric-coated tube is then cut to desiredlengths.

Paint roller tubes may be made tubes of thermoplastic material that areextruded from an extruder. The die from which the tube is extrudedrotates, imparting rotational and forward motion to the tube. A resin isextruded upon the tube, and fabric is then wound around the resin-coatedtube. The resulting fabric-coated tube is then cut to desired lengths.

Paint roller tubes may be made of pre-formed tubes of thermoplasticmaterial. This material may be made of polypropylene or PVC, forinstance. The pre-formed tubes may be made of continuously-extrudedmaterial, or may be made of strips of material that are wound around amandrel using a spiral winding process. The tubes are then joinedtogether using tape or some other adhesive, and are then rotated via aspiral winding process. A resin made of molten thermoplastic or anadhesive is extruded onto the tube, and fabric is then wound onto thetube via a spiral winding process, which also moves the tube forward.The resulting fabric-covered tube is then cut into desired lengths.

Paint roller tubes may be made via a spiral winding process. One or morestrips of thermoplastic material are wound around a mandrel via a spiralwinder. The strips may be extruded inline, or may be pre-formed. A resinor adhesive is extruded onto the strip(s), and fabric is wound using thespiral winder shortly thereafter. The resin/adhesive binds the strips toeach other (if multiple plys are used), and the strip(s) to the fabric.The resulting paint roller tube is then cut into desired lengths.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 500 uponwhich an embodiment of the invention may be implemented. Computer system500 includes a communication mechanism such as a bus 510 for passinginformation between other internal and external components of thecomputer system 500. Information is represented as physical signals of ameasurable phenomenon, typically electric voltages, but including, inother embodiments, such phenomena as magnetic, electromagnetic,pressure, chemical, molecular atomic and quantum interactions. Forexample, north and south magnetic fields, or a zero and non-zeroelectric voltage, represent two states (0, 1) of a binary digit (bit).Other phenomena can represent digits of a higher base. A superpositionof multiple simultaneous quantum states before measurement represents aquantum bit (qubit). A sequence of one or more digits constitutesdigital data that is used to represent a number or code for a character.In some embodiments, information called analog data is represented by anear continuum of measurable values within a particular range. Computersystem 500, or a portion thereof, constitutes a means for performing oneor more steps of one or more methods described herein.

A sequence of binary digits constitutes digital data that is used torepresent a number or code for a character. A bus 510 includes manyparallel conductors of information so that information is transferredquickly among devices coupled to the bus 510. One or more processors 502for processing information are coupled with the bus 510. A processor 502performs a set of operations on information. The set of operationsinclude bringing information in from the bus 510 and placing informationon the bus 510. The set of operations also typically include comparingtwo or more units of information, shifting positions of units ofinformation, and combining two or more units of information, such as byaddition or multiplication. A sequence of operations to be executed bythe processor 502 constitutes computer instructions.

Computer system 500 also includes a memory 504 coupled to bus 510. Thememory 504, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamicstorage device, stores information including computer instructions.Dynamic memory allows information stored therein to be changed by thecomputer system 500. RAM allows a unit of information stored at alocation called a memory address to be stored and retrievedindependently of information at neighboring addresses. The memory 504 isalso used by the processor 502 to store temporary values duringexecution of computer instructions. The computer system 500 alsoincludes a read only memory (ROM) 506 or other static storage devicecoupled to the bus 510 for storing static information, includinginstructions, that is not changed by the computer system 500. Alsocoupled to bus 510 is a non-volatile (persistent) storage device 508,such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, for storing information,including instructions, that persists even when the computer system 500is turned off or otherwise loses power.

Information, including instructions, is provided to the bus 510 for useby the processor from an external input device 512, such as a keyboardcontaining alphanumeric keys operated by a human user, or a sensor. Asensor detects conditions in its vicinity and transforms thosedetections into signals compatible with the signals used to representinformation in computer system 500. Other external devices coupled tobus 510, used primarily for interacting with humans, include a displaydevice 514, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display(LCD), for presenting images, and a pointing device 516, such as a mouseor a trackball or cursor direction keys, for controlling a position of asmall cursor image presented on the display 514 and issuing commandsassociated with graphical elements presented on the display 514.

In the illustrated embodiment, special purpose hardware, such as anapplication specific integrated circuit (IC) 520, is coupled to bus 510.The special purpose hardware is configured to perform operations notperformed by processor 502 quickly enough for special purposes. Examplesof application specific ICs include graphics accelerator cards forgenerating images for display 514, cryptographic boards for encryptingand decrypting messages sent over a network, speech recognition, andinterfaces to special external devices, such as robotic arms and medicalscanning equipment that repeatedly perform some complex sequence ofoperations that are more efficiently implemented in hardware.

Computer system 500 also includes one or more instances of acommunications interface 570 coupled to bus 510. Communication interface570 provides a two-way communication coupling to a variety of externaldevices that operate with their own processors, such as printers,scanners and external disks. In general the coupling is with a networklink 578 that is connected to a local network 580 to which a variety ofexternal devices with their own processors are connected. For example,communication interface 570 may be a parallel port or a serial port or auniversal serial bus (USB) port on a personal computer. In someembodiments, communications interface 570 is an integrated servicesdigital network (ISDN) card or a digital subscriber line (DSL) card or atelephone modem that provides an information communication connection toa corresponding type of telephone line. In some embodiments, acommunication interface 570 is a cable modem that converts signals onbus 510 into signals for a communication connection over a coaxial cableor into optical signals for a communication connection over a fiberoptic cable. As another example, communications interface 570 may be alocal area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connectionto a compatible LAN, such as Ethernet. Wireless links may also beimplemented. Carrier waves, such as acoustic waves and electromagneticwaves, including radio, optical and infrared waves travel through spacewithout wires or cables. Signals include man-made variations inamplitude, frequency, phase, polarization or other physical propertiesof carrier waves. For wireless links, the communications interface 570sends and receives electrical, acoustic or electromagnetic signals,including infrared and optical signals, that carry information streams,such as digital data.

The term computer-readable medium is used herein to refer to any mediumthat participates in providing information to processor 502, includinginstructions for execution. Such a medium may take many forms,including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media andtransmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical ormagnetic disks, such as storage device 508. Volatile media include, forexample, dynamic memory 504. Transmission media include, for example,coaxial cables, copper wire, fiber optic cables, and waves that travelthrough space without wires or cables, such as acoustic waves andelectromagnetic waves, including radio, optical and infrared waves. Theterm computer-readable storage medium is used herein to refer to anymedium that participates in providing information to processor 502,except for transmission media.

Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppydisk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or any othermagnetic medium, a compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), a digital video disk (DVD)or any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, or any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a programmable ROM(PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), a FLASH-EPROM, or any other memorychip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other medium from which acomputer can read. The term non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium is used herein to refer to any medium that participates inproviding information to processor 502, except for carrier waves andother signals.

Logic encoded in one or more tangible media includes one or both ofprocessor instructions on a computer-readable storage media and specialpurpose hardware, such as ASIC 520.

Network link 578 typically provides information communication throughone or more networks to other devices that use or process theinformation. For example, network link 578 may provide a connectionthrough local network 580 to a host computer 582 or to equipment 584operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISP equipment 584 inturn provides data communication services through the public, world-widepacket-switching communication network of networks now commonly referredto as the Internet 590. A computer called a server 592 connected to theInternet provides a service in response to information received over theInternet. For example, server 592 provides information representingvideo data for presentation at display 514.

The invention is related to the use of computer system 500 forimplementing the techniques described herein. According to oneembodiment of the invention, those techniques are performed by computersystem 500 in response to processor 502 executing one or more sequencesof one or more instructions contained in memory 504. Such instructions,also called software and program code, may be read into memory 504 fromanother computer-readable medium such as storage device 508. Executionof the sequences of instructions contained in memory 504 causesprocessor 502 to perform the method steps described herein. Inalternative embodiments, hardware, such as application specificintegrated circuit 520, may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the inventionare not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

The signals transmitted over network link 578 and other networks throughcommunications interface 570, carry information to and from computersystem 500. Computer system 500 can send and receive information,including program code, through the networks 580, 590 among others,through network link 578 and communications interface 570. In an exampleusing the Internet 590, a server 592 transmits program code for aparticular application, requested by a message sent from computer 500,through Internet 590, ISP equipment 584, local network 580 andcommunications interface 570. The received code may be executed byprocessor 502 as it is received or may be stored in storage device 508or other non-volatile storage for later execution, or both. In thismanner, computer system 500 may obtain application program code in theform of a signal on a carrier wave.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequence of instructions or data or both to processor 502 forexecution. For example, instructions and data may initially be carriedon a magnetic disk of a remote computer such as host 582. The remotecomputer loads the instructions and data into its dynamic memory andsends the instructions and data over a telephone line using a modem. Amodem local to the computer system 500 receives the instructions anddata on a telephone line and uses an infra-red transmitter to convertthe instructions and data to a signal on an infra-red a carrier waveserving as the network link 578. An infrared detector serving ascommunications interface 570 receives the instructions and data carriedin the infrared signal and places information representing theinstructions and data onto bus 510. Bus 510 carries the information tomemory 504 from which processor 502 retrieves and executes theinstructions using some of the data sent with the instructions. Theinstructions and data received in memory 504 may optionally be stored onstorage device 508, either before or after execution by the processor502.

FIG. 6 illustrates a chip set 600 upon which an embodiment of theinvention may be implemented. Chip set 600 is programmed to perform oneor more steps of a method described herein and includes, for instance,the processor and memory components described with respect to FIG. 5incorporated in one or more physical packages (e.g., chips). By way ofexample, a physical package includes an arrangement of one or morematerials, components, and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., abaseboard) to provide one or more characteristics such as physicalstrength, conservation of size, and/or limitation of electricalinteraction. It is contemplated that in certain embodiments the chip setcan be implemented in a single chip. Chip set 600, or a portion thereof,constitutes a means for performing one or more steps of a methoddescribed herein.

In one embodiment, the chip set 600 includes a communication mechanismsuch as a bus 601 for passing information among the components of thechip set 600. A processor 603 has connectivity to the bus 601 to executeinstructions and process information stored in, for example, a memory605. The processor 603 may include one or more processing cores witheach core configured to perform independently. A multi-core processorenables multiprocessing within a single physical package. Examples of amulti-core processor include two, four, eight, or greater numbers ofprocessing cores. Alternatively, or in addition, the processor 603 mayinclude one or more microprocessors configured in tandem via the bus 601to enable independent execution of instructions, pipelining, andmultithreading. The processor 603 may also be accompanied with one ormore specialized components to perform certain processing functions andtasks such as one or more digital signal processors (DSP) 607, or one ormore application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) 609. A DSP 607typically is configured to process real-world signals (e.g., sound) inreal time independently of the processor 603. Similarly, an ASIC 609 canbe configured to performed specialized functions not easily performed bya general purposed processor. Other specialized components to aid inperforming the inventive functions described herein include one or morefield programmable gate arrays (FPGA) (not shown), one or morecontrollers (not shown), or one or more other special-purpose computerchips.

The processor 603 and accompanying components have connectivity to thememory 605 via the bus 601. The memory 605 includes both dynamic memory(e.g., RAM, magnetic disk, writable optical disk, etc.) and staticmemory (e.g., ROM, CD-ROM, etc.) for storing executable instructionsthat when executed perform one or more steps of a method describedherein. The memory 605 also stores the data associated with or generatedby the execution of one or more steps of the methods described herein.

Reference in this specification to “an embodiment” or “the embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least an embodimentof the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodimentsmutually exclusive of other embodiments. Moreover, various features aredescribed which may be exhibited by some embodiments and not by others.Similarly, various requirements are described which may be requirementsfor some embodiments but not other embodiments.

As used herein, and especially within the claims, ordinal terms such asfirst and second are not intended, in and of themselves, to implysequence, time or uniqueness, but rather are used to distinguish oneclaimed construct from another. In some uses where the context dictates,these terms may imply that the first and second are unique. For example,where an event occurs at a first time, and another event occurs at asecond time, there is no intended implication that the first time occursbefore the second time. However, where the further limitation that thesecond time is after the first time is presented in the claim, thecontext would require reading the first time and the second time to beunique times. Similarly, where the context so dictates or permits,ordinal terms are intended to be broadly construed so that the twoidentified claim constructs can be of the same characteristic or ofdifferent characteristic.

All numeric values are herein assumed to be modified by the term“about,” whether or not explicitly indicated. The term “about” generallyrefers to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would considerequivalent to the recited value (i.e., having the same function orresult). In many instances, the term “about” may include numbers thatare rounded to the nearest significant figure.

Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that eachintervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit (unlessthe context clearly dictates otherwise), between the upper and lowerlimit of that range, and any other stated or intervening value in thatstated range, is encompassed within the disclosure. The upper and lowerlimits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in thesmaller ranges and are also encompassed within the disclosure, subjectto any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the statedrange includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either orboth of those included limits are also included in the disclosure.

Unless otherwise indicated, the present disclosure is not limited toparticular materials, reagents, reaction materials, manufacturingprocesses, or the like, as such can vary. It is also to be understoodthat the terminology used herein is for purposes of describingparticular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. It isalso possible in the present disclosure that steps can be executed indifferent sequence where this is logically possible.

It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example,reference to “a support” includes a plurality of supports. In thisspecification and in the claims that follow, reference will be made to anumber of terms that shall be defined to have the following meaningsunless a contrary intention is apparent.

All the features disclosed in this specification (including anyaccompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced byalternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose,unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly statedotherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a genericseries of equivalent or similar features.

The above embodiments and preferences are illustrative of the presentinvention. It is neither necessary, nor intended for this patent tooutline or define every possible combination or embodiment. The inventorhas disclosed sufficient information to permit one skilled in the art topractice at least one embodiment of the invention. The above descriptionand drawings are merely illustrative of the present invention and thatchanges in components, structure and procedure are possible withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention as defined in thefollowing claims. For example, elements and/or steps described aboveand/or in the following claims in a particular order may be practiced ina different order without departing from the invention. Thus, while theinvention has been particularly shown and described with reference toembodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing paint rollers, themethod comprising: using a precision measuring or sensing device tocontrol a cutting device causing the cutting device to cut an advancingpaint roller tube into pre-selected lengths prior to the paint rollertube hardening and setting; and allowing the cut lengths to harden andset into final paint rollers having final paint roller lengths.
 2. Themethod for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1, wherein thefinal paint roller lengths measured axially are three inches, fourinches, four and a half inches, six inches, six and a half inches, seveninches, nine inches, twelve inches, fifteen inches, or eighteen inches.3. The method for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1,further comprising: winding at least one strip of material about amandrel, the at least one strip of material comprising a polymericmaterial and a filler.
 4. The method for manufacturing paint rollersaccording to claim 3, wherein the polymeric material comprises athermoplastic, a thermoset, an elastomer, a copolymer thereof, and/or ablend thereof.
 5. The method for manufacturing paint rollers accordingto claim 3, wherein the filler comprises Alumina Trihydrate, BariumSulfate, Calcium Carbonate, Carbon Black, Diatomaceous earth, Dolomite,Halloysite, Kaolin, Magnetite/Hematite, Magnesium Hydroxide, Mica,Silica, Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Wollastonite, and/or Zinc Oxide.
 6. Themethod for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 3, wherein thefiller is present in an amount of from about 10 to about 70% by weight.7. The method for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 3,wherein the polymeric material and the filler are present in a ratiothat results in a final paint roller which shrinks axially by less than2.5 percent of the final paint roller axial length upon hardening andsetting.
 8. The method for manufacturing paint rollers according toclaim 3, wherein the polymeric material and the filler are present in aratio that results in final paint roller shrinkage which varies by lessthan 0.1 percent per final paint roller axial length.
 9. The method formanufacturing paint rollers according to claim 3, wherein the polymericmaterial and the filler are present in a ratio that results in finalpaint roller shrinkage of less than 0.05 percent per final paint rolleraxial length.
 10. The method for manufacturing paint rollers accordingto claim 3, further comprising: applying an adhesive to at least aportion of the at least one strip as it is wound about the mandrel. 11.The method for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 10,wherein the adhesive comprises a combination of the polymeric materialand the filler.
 12. The method for manufacturing paint rollers accordingto claim 11, wherein, the combination has an effective melt flow rate(MFR) within the range of from about 80 to about 170 g/10 min.
 13. Themethod for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1, wherein thecutting device comprises a rotary cutter.
 14. The method formanufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1, wherein the cuttingdevice comprises a travelling saw or a stationary saw.
 15. The methodfor manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1, wherein the stepof using the precision device to control the cutting device results incutting the paint roller tube into desired axial lengths with atolerance lower than +/−0.01 inches per final paint roller length. 16.The method for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1, whereinthe step of using the precision device to control the cutting deviceresults in cutting the paint roller tube into desired axial lengthsonline with a tolerance lower than +/−0.005 inches.
 17. The method formanufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1, wherein the step ofusing the precision device to control the cutting device results incutting the paint roller tube into desired axial lengths online with atolerance of +/−0.0025 inches.
 18. The method for manufacturing paintrollers according to claim 1, wherein the step of using the precisiondevice to control the cutting device is performed when an exteriorsurface of the advancing paint roller tube has a temperature that ismore than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
 19. The method for manufacturing paintrollers according to claim 1, further comprising a step of changing thepre-selected lengths from one of a plurality of preset lengths toanother of the plurality of preset lengths by operating a device inoperative communication with the cutting device or the precision device.20. The method for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 19,wherein the plurality of preset lengths comprises at least two of: threeinches, four inches, four and a half inches, six inches, six and a halfinches, seven inches, nine inches, twelve inches, fifteen inches, andeighteen inches.
 21. The method for manufacturing paint rollersaccording to claim 3, further comprising: winding a length of fabricabout the at least one strip to form a paint roller tube; and applyingcompression to the paint roller tube while advancing the paint rollertube in a direction parallel to the mandrel.
 22. The method formanufacturing paint rollers according to claim 21, wherein the step ofwinding a length of fabric about the at least one strip compriseswinding a length of coated fabric about at least an outer strip.
 23. Themethod for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1, wherein themethod is a continuous process.
 24. The method for manufacturing paintrollers according to claim 1, wherein the method is a batch-wiseprocess.
 25. The method for manufacturing paint rollers according toclaim 1, wherein the advancing paint roller tube is manufactured from amaterial selected from the group consisting of paper, a paper-likematerial, an extruded material, and combinations thereof.
 26. The methodfor manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 1, wherein theadvancing paint roller tube is manufactured by a process selected from acontinuous extrusion process, a spiral-winding process, and combinationsthereof.
 27. The method for manufacturing paint rollers according toclaim 3, wherein the polymeric material comprises polypropylene.
 28. Themethod for manufacturing paint rollers according to claim 3, wherein thefiller comprises calcium carbonate.